Temperature affects the overall performance of roads in several ways and a survey of available information was therefore carried out to determine the extent of knowledge on road temperatures in the tropics. Data were limited and long-term measurements have been carried out in only a few countries, notably India on concrete and South Africa on bituminous pavements. Peak surface temperatures have been reported up to 49°C on concrete and 61°C on bitumen, with normal surface temperatures in excess of the peak temperatures met in the United Kingdom. The diurnal range of temperature is also greater in many tropical countries than in the United Kingdom but the annual temperature-range is often less. It is proposed that further data are collected on temperatures within road structures by carrying out a series of co-operative experiments between the Road Research Laboratory and road authorities in the tropics. (Author/publisher)
Abstract